What will my business have to do to comply with
the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service?
 

1. Establish policies, practices and procedures on providing goods or services to people with disabilities.
2. Set a policy on allowing people to use their own personal assistive devices to access your goods and use your services and about any other measures your organization offers (assistive devices, services, or methods) to enable them to access your goods and use your services.
3. Use reasonable efforts to ensure that your policies, practices and procedures are consistent with the core principles of independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity.
4. Communicate with a person with a disability in a manner that takes into account his or her disability.
5. Train staff, volunteers, contractors and any other people who interact with the public or other third parties on your behalf on a number of topics as outlined in the customer service standard.
6. Train staff, volunteers, contractors and any other people who are involved in developing your policies, practices and procedures on the provision of goods or services on a number of topics as outlined in the customer service standard.
7. Allow people with disabilities to be accompanied by their guide dog or service animal in those areas of the premises you own or operate that are open to the public, unless the animal is excluded by another law. If a service animal is excluded by law, use other measures to provide services to the person with a disability.
8. Permit people with disabilities who use a support person to bring that person with them while accessing goods or services in premises open to the public or third parties.
9. Where admission fees are charged, provide notice ahead of time on what admission, if any, would be charged for a support person of a person with a disability.
10. Provide notice when facilities or services that people with disabilities rely on to access or use your goods or services are temporarily disrupted.
11. Establish a process for people to provide feedback on how you provide goods or services to people with disabilities and how you will respond to any feedback and take action on any complaints. Make the information about your feedback process readily available to the public.

Who can I contact
with questions?

Government of Ontario

For questions about the AODA or accessibility standards, please contact:

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Contact Centre

Phone: 1-866-515-2025
TTY: 416-325-3408
 TTY Toll-free: 1-800-268-7095
Fax: 416-325-3407
Website: www.AccessON.ca

City of London

For questions about accessibility at the City of London, please e-mail
 or call 519-661-2500 ext 5879.

1. Document in writing all your policies, practices and procedures for providing accessible customer service and meet other document requirements set out in the standard.
2. Notify customers that documents required under the customer service standard are available upon request.
3. When giving documents required under the customer service standard to a person with a disability, provide the information in a format that takes into account the person’s disability.

Also, training by January 1, 2010 is required for businesses providing goods and services to the City of London. On our website you'll find training resources available that can be used at no charge.

Additional information for you

At the Ministry of Community and Social Services website  you’ll find information and resources to help you understand how to comply with the regulation.

* Please note: This list was prepared by the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario and is for information purposes only. This is not legal advice and should be read together with the official language of the standard.